PepsiCo’s proposed restructure of its UK operations could put over 500 jobs at risk.
LeicesterLive reported that 560 PepsiCo employees could face redundancy under the proposals, including around 250 at its Walkers crisps manufacturing site in Leicester.
PepsiCo last year said it employed over 2,100 people across its Leicester, Coventry and Lincoln. The Grocer understands the proposed restructuring plans affect all three of these sites, as well as Skelmersdale.
“We recently told our teams that we will be consulting on proposed changes to our operational structure, affecting a proportion of employees at our snacks manufacturing sited in the UK,” a PepsiCo spokeswoman told The Grocer.
“No decisions will be made without first consulting affected employees and their representatives.
“Our priority is providing support for our people throughout this process.
“The changes being proposed are intended to bring our UK sites in line with a different operating structure we have had success with at some of our other international sites, leading to better ways of working and increased technical capabilities.”
Fighting for every job
When approached by The Grocer, Unite national officer for the food, drink & agriculture sector Paul Travers said: “Unite will be offering support to our members at this difficult time.
“We will now be entering consultations and fighting for every job.
“Unite will ensure our members’ best interests are the priority, including negotiating against compulsory redundancies and for the best possible severance packages for those wishing to take voluntary redundancy.”
PepsiCo has invested £140m into upgrades across its UK sites since 2020.
In 2021, it invested £24.5m into its Lincoln site. This was followed by a landmark £58m investment into the Leicester factory in 2023, which covered the installation of a new manufacturing line, plus replacing existing machinery.
In 2024, PepsiCo invested £13m into an “extensive upgrade” of its Coventry factory, including updated staff facilities and the installation of a new manufacturing line for Doritos. The upgrades allowed it to reformulate Doritos with an HFSS-compliant recipe.
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